Manufacturing has long been a mainstay of the Michigan economy
and an important source of employment across the country. Over the last five
years Michigan has lost a large number of manufacturing jobs, especially in the
automobile sector. Michigan is far from alone in this; most states saw declines
in manufacturing employment between 2001 and 2006. But right-to-work states saw
much less severe losses in this area.

The trend away from manufacturing employment was already well
underway five years ago; nationally, manufacturing employment reached its peak
in 1979. Between 1990 and 2000 right-to-work states experienced an average
increase of 1.0 percent annually in manufacturing employment, but
non-right-to-work states saw annual declines in manufacturing payroll averaging
0.6 percent. Michigan, in the midst of a stretch of relative prosperity, gained
manufacturing jobs by an average of 0.4 percent per year during that time, but
had experienced losses in the 1980s.[8]

The tendency for non-right-to-work states to lose manufacturing
jobs has become more pronounced over the last several years. Between 2001 and
2006 the typical right-to-work state saw manufacturing employment decline 1.5
percent annually, 7.1 percent overall. Non-right-to-work states, however, faced
even sharper declines: averaging 3.0 percent annually and 13.7 percent over the
five-year period. Every non-right-to-work state but one, Alaska, lost
manufacturing jobs during that period, while five right-to-work states
registered at least modest gains in this area.[9]

It will come as no surprise to most readers that Michigan’s
record for manufacturing employment over the last five years is particularly
disturbing: between 2001 and 2006 Michigan manufacturing employment declined an
average of 4.6 percent per-year, or by a total of 20.9 percent over the whole
five-year period.[10]

The decline in manufacturing employment is occurring nationwide
and has been underway for nearly 30 years; large statewide gains in
manufacturing employment are unlikely even with the best economic policies. But
given Michigan’s status as one of the most heavily industrialized states in the
union, with 14.9 of Michigan’s workforce in manufacturing compared to the
national average of 10.2 percent, Michigan has a particular interest in
preserving manufacturing employment as much as possible, an area where states
with right-to-work laws appear to have a distinct advantage.[11]